HOUSTON - Karbach Brewing Co. will hire 100 new employees as it breaks ground next week on a $15 million, 19,000-sf expansion project next to the current facility at 2032 Karbach St.

The new two-story facility, situated on a 1.2-acre tract, will include a public taproom, a kitchen and space for special events.

In 2013, Karbach produced 19,000 barrels of beer, but the expansion will take the brewery to 60,000 barrels in annual production and will allow room for future growth.

The craft brewing market is booming in Texas and is projected to reach $5.6 billion in about seven years. “It’s all part of that trend of people not consuming as much beer, but what they do consume is higher quality,” said Eric Warner, brewmaster for Karbach.

Karbach drew national attention in 2013 when cited by The New Yorker as the second fastest-growing brewery in the nation.